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Kyō Shiranui (不知火匡 Shiranui Kyou) is a character in Hakuōki. He is a demon currently in the service of the Chōshū domain, which opposes the Shinsengumi.
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Personality
Shiranui is flighty, flippant, and proud, often referring to himself with the arrogant pronoun ore-sama. However, though he flaunts the notion of demon superiority based on physical capabilities, he does not believe that demons are always superior or that humans are always inferior. This is most likely came from his friendship with his human friend, Takasugi. The two of them were very close that Shiranui won't let anyone badmouth him or tainting his name even after his death.
Regardless of race, he appreciates anyone who can grasp the big picture, and has difficulty getting along with narrow-minded or stubborn people. For instance, Shiranui dislikes Kazama immensely, referring to him as "that asshole" when they are not together. However, he works with him out of necessity since their respective domains are allies. His hatred of Rasetsu also transcends his personal vendettas, as he is willing to help his adversaries in a fight if Rasetsu are their common enemy.
Shiranui is easily bored and constantly seeks out the next most interesting thing, which often relates to fighting. Furthermore, he takes great delight in teasing people just to get a reaction out of them, most notably Chizuru and even Kazama. However, though Shiranui is playful, he is also very direct, and will always tell a situation like he sees it. Similarly, he is willing to go to great lengths to prove a point, such as (in Harada's route) firing bullets directly at Chizuru so that she will be forced to recognize and acknowledge her inhuman reflexes.
Past
Shiranui is a fictional character, known as Shiranui Kyou. in the original Japanese, and is the head of the Shiranui clan of demons. He acted as bodyguard to a Chōshū warrior, Takasugi Shinsaku, along with the Tosa ronin Sakamoto Ryouma.Takasugi eventually died of tuberculosis, but having become his close friend, Shiranui took up his cause in his honor. Despite caring little for humans as a whole, Shiranui has continued fighting on behalf of the Chōshū domain for Takasugi's sake.
In Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan
Shiranui's exact role varies between routes, so he can be considered either an antagonist or an ally.
Chapter 1
If Chizuru goes with Harada, Shiranui appears to cover the Chōshū's retreat and faces off against him. There, their rivalry is established.
Chapter 2
Shiranui accompanies Amagiri and Kazama to Nijo Castle with the purpose of revealing Chizuru's demon heritage and stealing her away. He suggests shooting her as the easiest way to prove she heals quickly, but Kazama prevents him from doing so. Once the Shinsengumi intervenes, he again duels Harada.
Chapter 3
Shiranui raids the Shinsengumi compound with Kazama and Amagiri to retrieve Chizuru, but is more interested in fighting Harada again than in Kazama's mission. When he bids Harada goodbye after another stalemate, he tells him he wants to "fight until one of [them] dies".
He appears again at Aburano Koji to reveal that the Satsuma and Chōshū are now allies. However, he does not make distinctions between his allies and enemies, as he shoots one of the Satsuma men dead for interrupting Amagiri.
Saitou's route
Shiranui appears outside Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle to challenge Harada and Nagakura. He has little to no investment in Kazama's mission, as he permits Saitou to take Chizuru inside. In the good ending, he is not seen again and his fate remains unknown. In the bad ending, he returns having killed both his adversaries.
Harada's route
In Chapter 4, Shiranui appears at the Fushimi magistrate's office to antagonize Chizuru during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, reminding her that she is not human and does not belong with the Shinsengumi.
If Chizuru decides to leave Harada to fight Shiranui on her behalf, he shoots her through the heart and expresses disappointment that she has so little demon pride. Chizuru cannot see what happens, but Shiranui is implied to kill Harada as she dies.
In Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds
Shiranui's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan, with the following exceptions.
Chapter 5 (Harada)
Even in the bad endings, Shiranui does not shoot Chizuru, instead stating that he cannot kill her because female demons are so rare.
Chapter 5 (Sakamoto)
Shiranui appears to cover Sakamoto and Chizuru's escape from Nakaoka and the imperial Rasetsu. He regroups with them at Osaka Castle, but leaves soon after to continue opposing the imperial army while Sakamoto and Chizuru look for Kodo.
In Hakuōki: Edo Blossoms
Shiranui's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan, with the following exceptions.
Kazama's route
Shiranui appears by Chizuru's house, right after Kazama killed Koudou and mortally wounded Kaoru, and reveals that Harada died at Ueno. Shiranui considers himself bad luck as, according to him, whoever sides with him, even temporarily, ends up dead. Later on Shiranui reappears in Aizu to deliver Harada's spear to Chizuru as he was unable to catch up with the Shinsengumi. He refers to Harada as "one of the bravest, most ferocious warriors [he has] ever met", which Chizuru considers a high praise for a demon.
Sakamoto's route
Shiranui visits Chizuru and Sakamoto a few times to give them an update about the Rasetsu of the Imperial Armies that related to Nakaoka and Koudou. Comically, he sometimes appears interrupting intimate moments between Chizuru and Sakamoto, much to Sakamoto's chagrin and Chizuru's embarrassment.
In Hakuōki: Ginsei no Shou
Shiranui appears in Harada's final chapter as he is sent by Senhime to see how Chizuru and Harada are doing in another country. He tells them what was happening in Japan while they were gone and announces that the Shinsengumi and others are now pardoned, so Harada will not be prosecuted if he comes back. When Shiranui learns that the couple has a child, he is surprised and amused, explaining that children are rarely born in demon villages, which is why demons are usually very attentive towards the young ones. He plays with Harada's son and even says that he has a better personality than his father, teasing Harada. When it is time for Shiranui to go back to Japan, he confesses that he came because he was worried about Harada and Chizuru, admitting that he has become close to them.
In the musicals
Main article: Shiranui Kyou/HakuMyu
Shiranui is portrayed by Kashiwagi Yuusuke in all his HakuMyu appearances until Hijikata-hen 2, in which he is portrayed by Menjo Kentaro.
Trivia
- Shiranui is missing his tattoo in the anime.
- There is some confusion about whether or not Shiranui's clan actually owes the Chōshū domain a debt. Kazama and Amagiri both mention (on Kazama's and Saitou's routes, respectively) that the Shiranui clan has ties to the Chōshū left over from Sekigahara, akin to the Kazama and Amagiri clans' connection to the Satsuma. However, Shiranui himself repeatedly insists that he is only allied with the Chōshū because of his friendship with Takasugi.
- In the DLC story "Memories: For Good or Ill", Shiranui states that despite the inconvenience, he uses a gun to prove to his human adversaries that they must adapt to modern weaponry and tactics if they want to survive the coming age. He does so because he wants to continue Takasugi's legacy.
- The fact that Shiranui dresses in Western wear from the beginning may represent his habit of embracing outside influences, which is stated in the "A Meeting of Demons" DLC to be unusual for a demon.
- Despite Shiranui and Kazama's mutual dislike of one another, they can behave very similarly. Both have an often deadly disdain for those unable to adapt to the world around them, and both will seek out or create amusing situations to keep them entertained, often by provoking people.
- According to Shall We Date: Demons' Bond canon, the character Shiranui Shin is implied to be a distant relative of Shiranui Kyou.